With a New Face of Failure

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I walk in and see Galina staring at her phone. “Something wrong?” I ask, setting down the food and wrapping an arm around her.

“No, everything is fine.” She said, still not looking at me.

“Galina… Please tell me.”

“Nothing is wrong, Oli. I promise.” She looked up and smiled. Well, no signs of crying.

I frown, she is definitely not telling me something. “Okay then… I got your food, almost forgot it.” I laughed, trying to change the subject. No snark comeback? I grab the food and set it on the coffee table. She sat on the floor next to me and took out her food. I watched her out of the corner of my eye, she seemed to be somewhere else. Did something happen when I was gone? She would have called me. Maybe someone called her and told her something, that’s why she was looking at her phone so weird.

“Pass the soy.” She said, snapping me back from my thoughts. 

“Who called you?” I asked.

“Oli, the sauce please?”

“Galina. Answer me.” I covered the sauce with my hand, refusing to be helpful.

“Taste better without it anyways.” She shrugged and continued eating.

“Why wouldn’t you tell me? Is it your ex boyfriend? What did he want?” I growled.

“It wasn’t him.”

“Then who was it?”

“One of my brothers.”

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know, he didn’t really tell me anything.” She sighed. “Can I have the sauce now?” She opened her hand. I place a few in her hand.

“Are you going to leave?” I blurted.

She paused. Shit. “I hope not.” She said sadly. I wrap an arm around her. “I don’t want to leave.”

“I don’t want you to leave either.” 

A few moments pass by. “Look, I love you and all, but can we start eating now?” She giggled a little.

I realized I was still holding onto her. “Oh… Yeah. Right.” I blushed and let go. We started eating again. “So is your brother macho?”

“Not all Russians are macho… But he is a little… Muscular. Well, last time I saw him.”

“Is he going to beat me up? I’m not really a fighter, especially when it comes to Russians.”

She laughed. “I don’t know. I think he’s just here to visit, but something always goes wrong. I’ll have 911 on speed dial just in case.” She winked. 

“How many brothers do you have?”

“3.” She sighed.

“….wow.” My stomach dropped.

“Yeah, but half of them are twins and skinny. Feo is the youngest and dumbest.”

“Is that the one that called?”

“Yeah, the other ones… They left and really never wanted to come back. Feo had to either stay with me or go with them. Of course he choose them.” 

“Why did he go with them?”

“Because they got more money than I did. Why wouldn’t you go with the siblings that had more money?”

“So you and Feo are the youngest I’m guessing?”

“Yeah, we are only a year apart.” She sighed. “We use to be so close.”

“Maybe when he comes back you can rekindle that.”

“Hopefully.” She sighed. 

 

After eating we decided to do more unpacking and then call it a night. We laid on the mattress under a blanket, too lazy to find the comforter. “How’s Roger?” She asks.

“I don’t know, haven’t really talked to him for a while, but maybe I’ll see him at the meeting Kyle wants us to go to tomorrow.”

“What meeting?”

“I don’t know something about the band maybe.”

“Are you guys going to a tour or anything?”

“No, after we left Frank, we’ve been kinda low profile. I guess you could say.”

“Guess I have you all to myself… For now.” She smiled and kissed my chin. Too lazy to find my lips. “I was thinking we could paint our room purple.”

“Purple?” 

 

“Yeah, I think it really goes with our furniture… Frankly it goes with almost every color.” She tapped her chin. “Well. I’m tired. See ya tomorrow.” She unlatched herself and rolled to her side of the bed. Fine. Leave me. Whatever. I roll to my side and pass out.